InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Bad as new."

j. нarĸer, eѕqυιre (businesslike) wrote in valarlogs,
@ 2015-09-06 15:58:00

Entry tags:

!complete, !partner thread, jonathan harker, nico robin

Who: Nico Robin and Jonathan Harker
What: Antiques, books, buying a birthday present
When: Recently!
Where: Remember Yesterday
Warnings/Ratings: Mostly low
Status: Complete

Summer was such a strange season for shop owners. Some owners thrived during the summer months while others found it to be a drought. Interestingly enough Robin found that her first summer as Remember Yesterday’s proprietor had been something of a mix of being extremely busy and completely empty. Sometimes within the same week. Robin hadn’t entirely been prepared for that. Thankfully, she’d had planned a few auction trips to northern California, Nevada and Arizona to occupy some of the slower periods. She’d received a few requests from her clients as well and hunting down the objects had been great fun. Seeing the looks on those clients’ faces when she had been able to track down what they wanted had been greatly satisfying as well. Robin truly loved her job.

Now summer was coming to a close and Robin was starting to prepare for the busy holiday months by stocking up on those Special Gifts people wanted for the people in their lives.

She had recently acquired a small collection of old hard covered books from the early 1920’s. She’d gotten them as a trade for one of the china dolls she had gotten at auction the month previous. It was probably worth more than the books were, but honestly, Robin had been glad to be rid of it. It had been a homely looking thing, with crossed eyes, a flat nose and hands that honestly looked as though they would reach out and touch you. Robin was sure she’d never sell the silly thing, so when an interested party said he had a client who had been looking for just such a doll, it seemed like a miracle. She had the man through in another hundred dollars (it was a rare doll, after all) and called it a deal.

Now she had a set of very interesting old leather bound books, which she was taking the time to flip through as she put them out for display.

After all that (that meaning the OC’ s latest hiccup), Jonathan was glad to ease back into something resembling normalcy. Or whatever passed for normalcy around here - but he had rapidly shifted and changed the definition ever since his first dream which kicked off the gothic nightmare show, rolling out like a black carpet. And it hadn’t stopped, not since then - maybe for a couple of days, but then another story went full steam ahead. In this one, he’d recently been bitten by Dracula’s bride (they always seemed to harass him no matter the iteration), and he was on the way to stake both her and the Count himself - but he just had a bad feeling. You ought to be used to those, as a vampire hunter, he imagined.

Shopping for a birthday gift for Zelda would take his mind off of that. She was one of his closest friends, and he was fond of her - wanted to give her something unique, and lovely, just like she was. That was why he chose the antique shop, since he remembered (he had a memory like a steel bear trap, this one did) chatter about it on the network. May as well support local businesses at the same time.

Into the shop he went, slinking in, a posture that spoke of velvety nobility (or perhaps Victorian stiffness bleeding through) - it was a careful slink, like a viper in a box, though he moved lightly without even managing to create dull thuds on the floor. Perhaps a little on edge but he had good reason to be that way lately - not to mention the bar exam was mere days away.

The display of books caught his eye, however. Jade irises flickered toward where they were being set up, he and zoomed his attention in - scholarly nature simply allowed for such things. And he stepped closer, to get a better look. “Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to get in your way, those just grabbed my attention.”

There was a reason why Robin had installed bells over the door that jingled jangled whenever it was opened. Usually it was because she was in the backroom, but occasionally someone would enter her shop and just kind of blended into it. Like this gentleman apparently did. He was so remarkably quiet that Robin hadn’t even been sure someone had actually come in until he heard him speak, causing her to jump a little bit.

She turned around, perhaps a bit quicker than was necessary. Seeing not a ghost or apparition (she really should stop teasing Leon about those stupid dolls), she relaxed and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d sucked in. Realizing her reaction was extremely rude to a would-be customer she smiled at him, “I’m sorry, you startled me.”

She glanced towards the old books she had been setting out. “Oh, well,” she gave him another smile, this one a bit kinder and less forced than the first, “that is what they are here for. Would you like to see a few?”

No ghost, no apparition, just a man tall enough to bonk his head on many ceiling fixtures and in the stage of ‘Fuck My Life, I’ve Quit Smoking’ wherein he experienced literal tingly hands with want for one of those factory-rolled vices to scissor in between long fingers. Headache, nausea, anxiety and jitters - Jonathan had enough problems with that, given that his mind was a superhighway of a nervous disorder anyway. But he was trying. He’d get through these next few weeks, relying on gum and e-cigs most likely.

Speaking of gum, he pulled out the pack of it from where he usually kept his cancer sticks, unwrapping something tinged with mint and freshness. Pop, into his mouth, fingers flexed as he stuffed the newfound vice back where it belonged. “I would, yes,” he spoke, warm and friendly despite it all. “I’m looking for a birthday present. For a friend. She’s somewhat of a wise...old soul, if you know what I mean.”
Robin nodded her head, “I think I might.” She watched him take out a piece of gum and place it in his mouth. A motion that seemed very practised, almost unthought of. She quirked a brow. This gentleman that oozed pose and refinement of a bygone era did not strike her as someone given to an annoying habit of chewing and popping gum, particularly while in the presence of others. One habit traded for another, perhaps?

Her smile softened a bit more as she handed the gentleman the book she was holding. The title read The Poems of Longfellow. The book was bound in a red cover, not extremely shabby looking, but had the look and the feel of being old. Something someone at one time or another had handled many times by hands that had obviously cared for it. However, time itself would not leave the poor book untouched.

“Your friend,” Robin asked as her gentlemen client took the book from her, “does she enjoy poetry?”

He studied the book carefully, turning it over, examining the front cover as well as the back. It was exquisite, especially for someone who appreciated the written word and the expression of one’s self through such a venue the way Jonathan did. “Tell me not, in mournful numbers, life is but an empty dream. For the soul is dead that slumbers, and things are not what they seem...” he trailed off, smiling a little; it touched green eyes, and he chuckled at his own expense - because he’d probably be off and running, if he didn’t stop himself. There was a tendency to be verbose on his end.

“She is,” he confirmed. “At least, I’m fairly certain she is. I think she’d like a book like this. And also, it may seem silly, but do you have...tarot cards? Or something similar? Gemstones, crystals?” He wanted to get something for Zelda to help her with her visions too, and she mentioned she’d been working with divination tools recently. Her own set of something, just for her, might be beneficial.

“Life is real. Life is earnest. And the grave is not the goal; Dust thou art, to dust returneth, was not spoken about the soul.” Robin enjoyed her poetry. She herself was not much of a writer. She could record daily events in her journal, but she lacked the mastery over words artists like Longfellow commanded. Hearing them often transported her to another realm, one of elegance and dreams.

She smiled at the gentleman appreciatively. “You enjoy poetry,” she said a bit hopefully. Appreciation of elegant lyric and prose seemed to be waning more and more this day and age. It was nice to meet someone who shared her enjoyment.

She tilted her head slightly as she listened to her client’s further requests. “Oh, that doesn’t sound silly at all,” she said. She stepped away from the case where she had been setting the books and moved towards another at the other end of the store. “Are the tarot cards for you, or are they a part of the gift?” She took out a set of keys to unlock the case. “Will they be used for display in a collection or for actual use?”

“I enjoy poetry but it’s been awhile since I dove into that,” Jonathan admitted, book tucked under his arm, free hand pushing through dark hair. “I’m about to take the bar exam. Lawyer-in-the-making.” And let’s just say that he didn’t really have time to read for pleasure anymore - he did some editing work, other people’s prose, but he didn’t really pick up something that struck a chord with him and stick his nose in for hours anymore. So easily he could let lost in books - he’d have to remedy that, when things settled for him a little more.

Curiously, he followed the woman, the jingle-jangle of keys also piquing his interest. “Part of the gift,” he said. “So they’ll be for actual use. I hope.” Zelda’s visions were always so sporadic, and were sometimes mere creepy-crawly sensations as opposed to concrete pictures - he wanted to get her something to help channel her abilities.

This cool gentleman was the epitome of what a classic lawyer would be. It was almost as if he had stepped out of the very time period many of the items in Robin’s store had come from. A very interesting sort to come wandering into her store, indeed.

Robin took out a medium sized wooden box from the case. She set it down and opened it. “She’ll be using the cards, so she’ll need a full deck. Let’s see what I have,” she took a deck from the box and started to shuffle through it to confirm all the cards were there. She glanced up at the gentleman, “are you looking for the cards to be exceptionally old or would something from the early 20th century be suitable? This deck dates to the late 1930’s early 1940’s and was likely used in sideshow fortune telling.” Satisfied the deck she was holding was complete, she set it down on the case and slid it towards her client to inspect.

She tapped her finger against her lips thoughtfully. “I can’t say as that I carry much in the way of gemstones or crystals, or at least the kind I think you’re looking for.” She said. “The gemstones I carry are parts of jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, rings, and the like. I have some very nice looking pieces that you’re welcome to look at as well if you like.”

That being said, however, Robin was already going through her contacts in her mind searching for anyone who might have a lead on antique or vintage crystals or gemstones.

Sideshow fortune telling was good enough. It was interesting, a little slice of history and culture, and at the very least, Jonathan was sure that Zelda would think so too. He also had no clue what even was supposed to be in a tarot card deck, like the certain types and what they meant, so he would just trust that they all were accounted for. “That’s perfect, actually,” he said, fingers tapping on the deck lightly, a brush of a touch, because he didn’t want to put his prints all over something so...mystic. Such beauty was more meant for someone who would know how to use them.

“As far as gemstones, well...I’m not quite sure how it works,” he confessed, grin tilting into something sheepish. “It’s not my...area, per se. I just read about divination tools and those happened to be one of the examples. I believe it depends on color of the stone, the way they’re placed, and the energy that they emit...sorry, I talk a lot. Jonathan Harker,” he introduced himself, since he may as well, if he was going to chat the woman’s ear off. “You’re Robin, aren’t you? I think I’ve seen you on the network.” You know. That network.

Robin smiled again. She was always happy to fulfill a customer’s wish. She liked to think of the items that found their way into her store as treasures, some left behind, some yet to be discovered. Whenever she could unite someone with a treasure, she was happy.

She chuckled softly, “Please don’t apologize. I know some history of divination, but the actual practice of it is also outside my skill set. You may know more about it than I. However, I enjoy learning about something new. The more one knows about a thing the more life can be brought to any given object.”

She was a little taken aback when Jonathan Harker said her name. Leon had been the only one from the network who had visited her store (that she was aware of, anyway), and she had invited him. It was a little offputting to be recognized from the net, particularly by someone she had not actually interacted with. The feeling was fleeting however and was quickly replaced by an excited little tingle that worked its way into Robin’s chest and was reflected in her face when she nodded.

“Yes, that’s right,” she said, extending her delicate hand towards him for a greeting handshake. “Robin Nico. I joined the network about a month ago. Its a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Harker.”

He shook her hand, clasping in his before letting go. “Pleasure to meet you as well,” he said, and he’d since grown used to the coincidences that came about from recognizing and running into people from Valar. They were their own little community, in a way - even if there were some other aspects that he probably wouldn’t ever fully get used to, or desensitized to. Perhaps that was a good thing.

“It’s nice to have allies too,” he pointed out, somewhat teasing - but it was actually true, when it came to that network. And all the weird shit happening because you happened to have an account there. “But I’m sure my friend will enjoy what I’ve picked out. How much do I owe you for everything, especially since I plan to buy that whole collection of books in the display?” Because if he didn’t, it’d just torment him and keep him up nights until he had his hands on them - he was a bit of a bibliophile, if he was being completely honest with himself.

Robin felt a little foolish for being so taken aback when Mr. Harker. She chuckled a little embarrassedly as she shook the gentleman’s hand. “Allies, Mr. Harker?” She repeated. Yes, she supposed that was the best term to use in regards to the relationship between everyone on the site. Not quite all friends, but not all strangers either. Each and everyone of them in the same boat so to speak. It was actually rather comforting knowing once she finally joined their ranks, Robin would have a built in support network if it came to needing one. She smiled, “yes, I think I rather like that.”

Her attention went towards the books she had been putting out for display and then back to Mr. Harker. “All of them?” She asked. “Are you sure? Wouldn’t you rather look at them first. I certainly don’t mind selling them to you, but I would hate to sell you something you already have.”

“Well, I won’t get any duplicates, of course - but honestly, there are worse things in the world than having multiple copies of the same book,” Jonathan pointed out, and he was that type too - he’d have multiple copies of his favorites especially, to give as gifts, or in case one got ruined somehow, and sometimes - when perusing used book stores and other shops such as this - the books available were rare or out-of-print versions, one of a kind. He liked the idea of that. “They look wonderful though. Your whole shop, really...”

He glanced around appreciatively. “It’s nice.” Already, he promised himself he’d come back. It just seemed like the type of place where you could find all sorts of hidden treasures.

Robin had to agree. She herself owned a several duplicates in her own personal library. Sometimes simply because the covers of the books were different enough. Sometimes because the translation was different. And sometimes because she had thought she had lost a copy, only to find it again later. But not everyone was of the same mindset. And not everyone had room for multiple copies of the same story. She beamed at the gentleman in front of her. A man after her own heart indeed. “You are very welcome to them, Mr. Harker, with my gratitude. Let me see…”

She came out from behind the case and took a couple of steps towards where she’d been putting out the books. She pointed at each of the ones already set up, counting them mentally. Then she looked towards the box they had come in, still sitting on the floor by the bookcase. “Ten on the shelf, another ten or eleven in the box, I believe.” She turned on her toes back to the tarot card deck still on the display case, “and the tarot deck. Hmm.” The books themselves weren’t rare, Mr. Harker would be paying for their age. And it wasn’t a complete set, more of a hodge podge of various poets. Plus he was buying a lot of them at once. He was actually doing her a favor. People rarely bought books from her. There were other speciality shops for rare antique books. “Let’s say $150 for the books and another $25 for the tarot deck. That makes $175.” She tapped her fingers against her chin, “and you’re on the network and a fellow bibliophile, so Let’s say $160 and call it even. How does that sound, Mr. Harker?”

“Oh, please, call me Jonathan or most any variation thereof,” he insisted kindly, and rummaged for the plastic card that would be payment for this transaction, handing it over. “And that sounds great.” When everything was all said and done, he had a couple of bags of fun shinies to take home and fawn over - he just really loved books, anything scholarly and dedicated to the pursuit of learning. Plus, he’d found a birthday gift for Zelda and that was the most important part - why he’d ventured out in the first place. He hoped she liked the tarot deck, that it’d be useful for her.

His smile was all old-world, Victorian charm as he took the various parcels and situated them on his arm. “And if you happen to get in any divination gemstones, will you let me know?” It wasn’t an occult shop per se, but when it came to antiques and treasures you just never could tell what would find its way onto the shelves.

“Very well, Jonathan,” Robin nodded. The name Jonathan seemed to fit the gentleman more so than Jon. A fine strong name for a well-refined victorian gentleman. Robin had to wonder if he had been raised to be that way, or if it was the network’s influence. If it had been the latter, she wondered what kind of transition that must have been. It’d be rude to ask, of course. Perhaps the next time he came into the shop and it definitely seemed as though there would be a next time. Robin looked forward to it.

She waved him over to the cash-wrap counter before taking his credit card from him. “I will most definitely let you know if I should happen to get in any divination gemstones or crystals,” she told him as she swiped the card through the little reader attached to her tablet. The large ornate bronze 19th century cash register seated on the counter worked just fine, but it was so much easier to keep track of sales on the tablet. Once the card was accepted, Robin turned the tablet towards Jonathan and handed him a stylus for his signature. “I think I may know one or two dealers in the region who may be able to help me find something more along the lines you’re looking for. I’ll contact them to see if I can find any leads for you. Would you rather I contacted you via the network or is there a personal email you’d prefer I’d use?”

With his neat penmanship (he may be a young and fresh lawyer, but he didn’t write in chicken scratch like some), he left his signature with the stylus and then set it back where it belonged. “Either’s fine, but here...” Then he rummaged again, this time for a business card which he gave to Robin. He usually had a few on him at all times, for networking purposes, whatever else - because it really was amazing how often you tended to run into people from Valar while out and about in Orange County. “Feel free to email me, or text.”

“It was nice to meet you,” he added; polite to the very end, that Meeeeester Haaarkaaar. “Thank you for your help.”

Using the stylus Robin ended the sale on the tablet and then placed it under the counter where it lived when it wasn’t being used. She then took the offered card and studied it for a moment. Handy things, business cards. She was pleased that this was an art that didn’t seem to be dying out with the advance of time. She nodded, “of course, Jonathan. Here,” she reached towards the little bronze stand by the cash register where she kept her own cards and handed him one. “Feel free to do the same. You are, of course, welcome back any time. I get books periodically and a few other things you might like.” A man who seemingly had stepped out of the pages of a Jane Eyre novel surely would appreciate items from the victorian age, items Robin seemed to get more of than most. “Feel free to get in touch with me any time you like. Perhaps we can exchange more poetic prose.” She gave him a very pleased and happy smile. “I do hope your friend enjoys her gift.”